Tags
appetizers, Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, cheesecake, Cheesecake Factory, cocktails, crepe, Emeril Lagasse, Fashion Show Mall, FourSquare, IamAsialand, In-n-Out Burger, Las Vegas, Mon Ami Gabi, NYC Restaurant Week, Paris Hotel, Pork po-boy, Red Velvet Cafe, Sangria, Strip House, sushi, SushiSamba, Table 10, The Palazzo, The Venetian, travel, vegan
There is nothing like a vacation to reinvigorate one’s hunger for life. In my case it was a trip to Vegas that reignited my passion for food. Since I recently started pursuing a Master’s while still working full-time, I had little time to indulge myself. However, 2012 is now here and I decided what better place to start out the year than Las Vegas where fine-dining is as much of an attraction as the gambling. Although it really has not been all that cold for a New York City winter, Vegas welcomed me with sunny days reaching 70 degrees. The nights were a bit colder, but my friends and I heated things up roaming the strip. But as the saying goes,”What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” so this mission will mention only a few tidbits about the food my friends and I encountered.
Red Velvet Cafe
The Fashion Show Mall
3200 Las Vegas Blvd., Ste 1850Las Vegas, NV
(702) 998-9799
First memorable tasty morsel was the Red Velvet cake from the Red Velvet Cafe in the Fashion Show Mall. If you read any of my previous posts then you would know I LOVE Red Velvet anything. As I perused their display for their namesake, there was a wonderful array desserts many were Vegan options. Then I eyed their vegan Red Velvet cake and choose to give it a try. I will admit I was a bit skeptical at first. The cake itself was dense and a bit heavy. The taste of the chocolate was deliciously prominent. It was topped with a cream (which I expected to be watery and limp) that was thick and rich. For my first vegan Red Velvet cake, it did not disappoint.
The Cheeecake Factory The Forum Shops-Caesar’s Palace 3500 South Las Vegas Blvd.Las Vegas
(702) 792-6888
My next culinary adventure hit me with a strike of hunger as I walked through the The Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace. It was the first time I had Cheesecake Factory. I know it may not seem like a big deal to most because it’s a restaurant chain. Nonetheless, conducting most of my missions in New York City I had never experienced Cheesecake Factory. I’m always excited to try new things. It’s quite popular as we had a 30 minute wait. Once seated I ordered the farfalle with chicken and roasted garlic and my lovely companion, @IamAsialand, stuck to her Caribbean roots with the Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp and Chicken. My entrée was an enormous helping of bow-tie pasta, chicken, mushrooms, tomato, pancetta, peas and in a roasted garlic-parmesan cream sauce. It was surprisingly good and made for great leftovers. IamAsialand’s chicken and shrimp came with typical Caribbean sides of rice, black beans, and fried sweet plantains. It passed her test of deliciousness because she cleaned her plate. Of course, we couldn’t leave Cheesecake Factory without cheesecake. We were both too full to eat dessert, but we chose the 30th anniversary Chocolate cheesecake to go. It was layers of their regular cheesecake, chocolate cake, and chocolate truffle cream. Needless to say dessert did not make it back to the hotel.
SushiSamba The Palazzo 3325 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, NV 89109-1414(702) 607-0700
From first time treats to a familiar face as we dined at Sushi Samba in The Palazzo, a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant which I also frequent in New York. The Palazzo’s location was a convenient place to have a light lunch after our gondola ride in The Venetian right next store. I dined on the Samba strip Roll filled with Maine lobster, mango, and peanut curry. Asialand was feeling a little more adventurous than usual decided on the Rainbow dragon roll with freshwater eel, mango, and avocado. Ironically, it was really the avocado and not the eel which made it a new experience for her. Coconut sticky rice, a heaping bowl of miso soup and fresh steamed edamame rounded out our meal.
(702) 607-6363
Table 10, Emeril Lagasse’s restaurant right next store to Sushisamba, was our next destination for our mid-afternoon cocktail of complimentary Sangria. LLF Intel: Check-in to Table 10 using FourSquare to get your free glass while you’re there. It goes without saying the food at Emeril’s restaurant is good. Our handsome travel companion met us at Table 10 as we finished our lunch at Sushisamba. He ordered the Slow-cooked Pork Po-boy. Now if its one thing Emeril know how to do it right– its Pork. The pork was super tender and smothered in a molasses barbecue sauce. Complete with thick steak fries, it was definitely an upscale version of a “manwich”. I was just able to sneak a bite, but you can be sure that next time I’m getting my own.
Strip House Planet Hollywood 3667 Las Vegas Blvd S Las Vegas, NV 89109(702) 737-5200
The Strip’s hotel casinos are like individual worlds in and of themselves. Each one
has their special eateries and shows which make them unique. Strip House in Planet Hollywood is just one of those places. We stopped in and sat at the bar to enjoy drinks and some light fare before we immersed ourselves in the Vegas nightlife. I started off my night with a Strawberry Shortcake cocktail, a bright and refreshing drink in a graham cracker brimmed glass. We were recommended to order their table sharing appetizer of Warm garlic bread with the gorgonzola fondue. The dish was beautifully presented with the bread stacked like building blocks in a bed of cheese. We devoured it before I could remember to snap a picture. The next item we tried was the house cured beef jerky. We couldn’t leave a steak house without eating some kind of beef. My taste buds were very happy we did. While both Asia and I were content with those two dishes, our male companion decided to order the New England Sea scallops. And if there is one thing I cannot stand is a rubbery scallop. These, however, did not disappoint. They were seared to perfection. Strip House definitely got it right on every point. I’m definitely thinking of putting it’s New York location on my Restaurant Week list.
Chicken, brie, and apple crepe
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Sadly all good trips come to an end, so @IamAsialand and I decided to do it big before we left back for NYC, Eiffel Tower big that is. Hopefully as a precursor to a future mission in Paris, on our last day in Vegas we had breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris Hotel. It was a lovely 70 degree day filled with people watching and sipping lattes which made it feel like an actual little cafe in Paris. The only difference maybe your view of the Bellagio right across the street. We both ordered the chicken, brie, and apple crepe. The combination of flavors and textures was exquisite. The chicken was juicy and the melty brie created the perfect glue. The finishing touch was the crisp thinly sliced green apple giving an extra sour kick to each bite. The meal was a lovely way to depart from the West Coast. Unfortunately, IamAsialand did leave with an unsatisfied craving for the famous In-n-Out Burger. It will be the first stop on our next trip West, promise!
…Ending Transmission…
And Signing Off With a Bon Appetit,
La Famished Femme
